Joe was the general manager, the salesman, and the delivery man. Amelia was the company's bookkeeper. They were soon forced to move into a tiny storefront around the corner, because their Adams Street landlord also wanted to sell beer out of their building. Then, in March 1936, Mother Nature presented the first of many hurdles the Incardonas would have to overcome...a devastating flood. They saved the trucks and some equipment by fleeing up the mountainside, while the beer from their warehouse ended up 20 miles downstream. 

It was an era when neighborhood taverns thrived. Bartenders wore starched white shirts and bowties, and a bottle of beer sold for 20 cents. Rapid growth prompted Joe to expand his business again in 1945. He moved Inco to a bigger place, a former service station at 641 Railroad Street. Inco operated there until 1958. During that period, the company doubled its staff of delivery men. Schlitz became the nation's most popular beer. Inco added the Stegmaier label to its growing stable of brands.

Things were rolling along until a bitter strike by Pittsburgh brewery workers brought business to a screeching halt. It became known as "The Beer Wars." Inco had no inventory of beer for 107 days. The company's drivers and their families were on the verge of going hungry. Joe Incardona stepped in, and organized a convoy of trucks to drive through the picket lines and pick up beer in Pittsburgh. On their way back, striking brewery workers threw Molotov cocktails at the convoy. Two of the trucks were burned, but the drivers were able to escape and return to Johnstown with most of their loads intact.

The episode began Joe Incardona's active involvement in the political side of the beer business. His growing role in the Pennsylvania beer industry's lobby took him to the nation's capital, where he testified on a proposed free trade bill before the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. Joe was also elected president of the Pennsylvania Malt Beverage Distributors Association. During his six-year term, he helped draft important beer industry legislation, working closely with Pennsylvania's governor and Congressional representatives.

In 1958, Inco Beverage got a major break. Joe Incardona was awarded the franchise for Carling's Black Label, which would soon become the bestselling beer in the 1960s. In 1962, Joe Incardona received the Schlitz Hall of Fame Award, honoring him as a top Schlitz distributor. That accolade recognized a standard of excellence that's still winning industry awards for the company today. 

didn't really pay off until 10 years later, when Miller created the light beer category with its Miller Lite product. That investment paid off handsomely when Phillip Morris bought the company and Miller High Life brand sales soared in the late 1970's.  It really paid off when Miller introduced Lite Beer from Miller and marketed it with the Lite All-Stars. The light beer category provided a boom for all beer suppliers. Miller Lite's popularity, and Joe Incardona's acquisition of the Stroh's franchise, once again caused Inco's warehouse to nearly burst at the seams. This time, Joe recognized the need for a more dramatic expansion, and built a 12,000 square foot facility in Richland Township, a Johnstown suburb.

 

They moved into the new warehouse in February 1976. Another 10,000 square feet of space was added. By 1979, Inco's sales had reached more than one million cases annually. The company became one of the first distributors in Central Pennsylvania to computerize.

The 1980s brought substantial changes at Inco. Rick Rizzo, son of Nancy Incardona Rizzo and grandson of Joe Incardona, joined the company, and applied his business

acumen and MBA-school training to help modernize operations. In 1985, the warehouse was expanded again. In 1988, the Coors Brewing Company sought out Joe Incardona to become their distributor for a five-county area in Western Pennsylvania. In November of 1987 Joe Incardona and Rick Rizzo secured the rights to The Coors Brewing Company brands for a five-county area in Western Pennsylvania.  Also in November of 1987 Rick and Joe hired Jim Kilcoyne to be the Coors Brand Manager.  Jim progressed to Sales Manager, General Manager,Chief Operating Manager and was promoted to Chief Executive Officer by current President and Board Chairman at Inco Beverage, Ray Rizzo.  Another key manager, Chief Financial Officer Marge Mekis, joined the Inco team in 1994, both Marge and Jim are on the current Board of Directors. Today Inco has assembled a structured, winning, diverse, talented team in every department. The immediate success of Coors in Pennsylvania fueled exceptional growth for Inco Beverage. Crown Imports, Mark Anthony Brands, High Falls Brewing, Pabst Brewing, E & J Gallo, and Spoetzl Brewery all chose Inco to represent their brands.

 

Today, Inco Beverage has 44 employees, and serves more than 700 retail and wholesale accounts in six counties: Cambria, Blair, Bedford, Indiana, Somerset and Huntingdon. The company's recently-expanded temperature controlled facility in Richland Township occupies 70,500 square feet of space. 

Inco Beverage is actively involved in community and charitable events throughout the calendar year. They have been a consistent supporter of America's Heroes, Your Volunteer Firefighters, by supporting between 40 and 50 events annually. A partial list of their community involvement and major charities they support are as follows:

Community Involvement:

All American Amateur Baseball Association                   Laurel Arts

Cambria County Ethnic Festival                                      Miracle League of Blair County

Summerfest of Somerset                                                National Rifle Association

Richland Township Days                                                Christmas Carol

Cambria County Festival                                                 Indiana Free Library

Johnstown Area Heritage Association                             Pints for Pets

America's Heroes Your Volunteer Firefighters                Operation Our Town

Pennsylvania Federation of Clubs

America's Hero's Your Volunteer Firemen

Charity Involvement:

St. Jude's Children Hospital                                            2nd Century Diocesan Fund

Community Foundation for the Alleghenies                    Catholic Charities

Make a Wish Foundation                                                Salvation Army

St. Vincent DePaul                                                          American Red Cross

Special Olympics                                                            American Cancer Society

Easter Seals

Economic Impact:

They are committed to buying within their assigned territories, all of their vehicles, fork lifts, uniforms, invoices, paper products, and even gas from their local vendors. Their vehicles are also serviced locally in each of their 6 counties. Inco beverage uses a local over the road hauler to pick up and deliver their products from their suppliers.